College for anxious, smart, somewhat socially awkward kid

[Anonymous]

Don’r pigeon-hole him. College is a clean slate. I would be wary of stereotyping him, as well as schools.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above. Maybe he's anxious because it seems to him you think he's anxious. Let him lead this. Apply widely to a huge variety of schools, and then, do not rush the decision. He may change/grow confident/surprise you by the end of senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The sounds exactly like my kid. Smart, and really approaching brilliant. Socially awkward. Thriving at Oberlin. The kids are very kind and accepting. So are the professors. I’m surprised that after two years, he has found a mentor in his major and another professor he like stopping by and talking to so much that he decided to minor. In high school, he was very anxious approaching teachers. I thought he’d never go to office hours.

I love that he is clearly being challenged, and clearly working hard, but isn’t overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. He’s grown a lot in two years. It’s just amazing to watch.

Are they paying you? You post constantly about Oberlin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’r pigeon-hole him. College is a clean slate. I would be wary of stereotyping him, as well as schools.

This +1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sounds exactly like my kid. Smart, and really approaching brilliant. Socially awkward. Thriving at Oberlin. The kids are very kind and accepting. So are the professors. I’m surprised that after two years, he has found a mentor in his major and another professor he like stopping by and talking to so much that he decided to minor. In high school, he was very anxious approaching teachers. I thought he’d never go to office hours.

I love that he is clearly being challenged, and clearly working hard, but isn’t overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. He’s grown a lot in two years. It’s just amazing to watch.

Are they paying you? You post constantly about Oberlin.

I think This is the second time I’ve personally posted.

Hey! Maybe there is more than one kid at Oberlin!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rising Junior. Smart, friendly, kind, socially awkward.[b] Just starting to look at schools. I think small or mid-size school would best. Where have you seen your kid (if similar) thrive? Excellent grades. AP/Honors classes. Not all all sure of major or focus of study.

Any advice please.

That was me. I loved Williams and came out of my shell there -- or, at least learned how to confidently and convincingly fake being an extrovert when I feel like it or need to be one. Gotta go now . . . my DH and kids are out of town and I'm planning to spend the afternoon sitting on my porch and reading my book . . . by myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rising Junior. Smart, friendly, kind, socially awkward.[b] Just starting to look at schools. I think small or mid-size school would best. Where have you seen your kid (if similar) thrive? Excellent grades. AP/Honors classes. Not all all sure of major or focus of study.

Any advice please.

That was me. I loved Williams and came out of my shell there -- or, at least learned how to confidently and convincingly fake being an extrovert when I feel like it or need to be one. Gotta go now . . . my DH and kids are out of town and I'm planning to spend the afternoon sitting on my porch and reading my book . . . by myself.

Haha - NP here, I went to Lafayette and say the same, that I learned to fake being an extrovert on a limited basis I loved Lafayette, and that was a really
important skill to have learned!

[Anonymous]

My kid.

UMBC
Perfect

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rising Junior. Smart, friendly, kind, socially awkward. Just starting to look at schools. I think small or mid-size school would best. Where have you seen your kid (if similar) thrive? Excellent grades. AP/Honors classes. Not all all sure of major or focus of study.

Any advice please.

Smaller schools with residential college system and diverse population. I think Rice, Amherst type places are ideal for such students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rising Junior. Smart, friendly, kind, socially awkward. Just starting to look at schools. I think small or mid-size school would best. Where have you seen your kid (if similar) thrive? Excellent grades. AP/Honors classes. Not all all sure of major or focus of study.

Any advice please.

Smaller schools with residential college system and diverse population. I think Rice, Amherst type places are ideal for such students.

Tgese schools arent major focused, you don't have to declare until second semester of second year and you can easily switch if another one suits better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rising Junior. Smart, friendly, kind, socially awkward. Just starting to look at schools. I think small or mid-size school would best. Where have you seen your kid (if similar) thrive? Excellent grades. AP/Honors classes. Not all all sure of major or focus of study.

Any advice please.

Not enough information in order to make reasonable recommendations.

What are his/her academic & extra-curricular interests ?

Define "smart".

Sometimes a large school is better so that one can find his/her friend group without feeling the need to conform to the dominant social culture at a small school. Does the student enjoy being an observer rather than a participant ? If so, maybe a large school would be better.

Since you requested suggestions for small to medium size schools: Maybe Vassar College, Oberlin College, Reed College, Grinnell College, maybe Wheaton College in Massachusetts, Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, Wesleyan University in Connecticut. But, these are all guesses due to the lack of information shared about the student.

Some SLACs may be very uncomfortable for this type of person. Some SLACs have a very high percentage of student athletes which may or may not create a comfortable environment for your student.

[Anonymous]

my similar kid is at Vandy. Loving it. Also got into Macalester, did not get into Grinnell. He focused on applying to schools where many kids lived on campus all four years. He is more social now than he was in high school, I think (do moms really ever know?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ED to Chicago. He could find his people there.

I agree with this. Applying ED really increasing your chances at Uchicago. Lots of quirky kids.

[Anonymous]

I was like this, and enjoyed the social life at swarthmore. Our hall went to meals together, and easy to hang out on weekends. The academics were intense, but low stress socially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising jr sounds similar. Schools on the list to look at:

W&M
Mary Washington
Dickinson
Swarthmore
Haverford
College of Wooster
Kenyon
Case Western
Rochester
Carleton
Macalester
Carnegie Mellon
Clark

I would add Brandeis

And Denison